2017 Bi-Monthly Update Series: July/August

To keep you informed, here are some highlights of changes and updates made to Clicklaw in July and August:

Jan-Feb | Mar-Apr | May-Jun | Jul-Aug | Sep-Oct | Nov-Dec


BCLI Report on Complex Stratas

This report discusses mixed-use and architecturally varied stratas and the three legislative tools that were introduced to manage legal issues surrounding them — sections, types, and phases. It also makes 68 recommendations for reform.

Disability Alliance BC HelpSheets Update

Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Benefit Application, Appealing Denial of PWD Benefit, Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers to Employment (PPMB) Benefit Application, and more.

Opportunities Advocacy Services – Campbell River Legal Advocacy Program

The program provides legal advocacy to low income residents in Campbell River and the surrounding area. Advocates provide information, assistance and representation on issues related to BC income assistance programs (benefits, disability assistance, PWD applications & appeals), federal income related programs (CPP, OAS, GIS, EI), residential tenancy disputes (tenants’ rights, mediation, representation in dispute resolutions), and consumer debt issues.

Access Pro Bono Residential Tenancy Program, Employment Standards program, Mental Health Program Telephone Clinic

  • Residential Tenancy Program: Provides free legal representation to low-income people appearing before the Residential Tenancy Branch (e.g. evictions, rent increases, loss of quiet enjoyment, security deposit withheld, need for repairs, etc.). Legal Representation is contingent on volunteers’ availability for each case as well as availability based on client location.
  • Employment Standards Program: Provides low-income employees with free legal representation before the Employment Standards Branch and/or the Employment Standards Tribunal on issues such as termination pay, vacation pay, overtime, etc. Legal representation is contingent on volunteers’ availability for each case as well as the availability of lawyers in the client’s location.
  • Mental Health Program: Provides individuals certified under the Mental Health Act and their relatives with free summary legal advice over the phone (e.g. right to a second opinion, how to apply for a review panel hearing, procedure at review panel hearings, etc.).

Seniors First BC – Legal Advocacy Program

The Legal Advocate provides legal services to people age 55+ who are not able to access legal help due to low income or other barriers for legal issues involving residential tenancy, government benefits and debt.

Legal Advocate Program for the North Okanagan

Help with income security including income assistance (welfare), both regular and disability benefits, CPP disability benefits, Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, and residential tenancy issues (for tenants). We provide legal information & referrals, and representation and advocacy at administrative hearings. Legal education on areas of service such as tenancy law and policy. The advocate can also be emailed at tishlakes@okadvocate.ca.

Fraser Thompson Indian Services Society (FTISS) – Family Support Program

The Family Support Worker works in the communities of Spuzzum, Boston Bar, Boothroyd and Oregon Jack Creek to help families, children and youth who are struggling to stay together or who just need some information or extra help. Help for families who are involved with or at risk of being involved with the Ministry of Children and Families.

BC Human Rights Clinic – Know Your Rights – what to do about discrimination

Provides useful information on identifying human rights discrimination and provides a walk through the formal system of filing a human rights complaint.

LSLAP Manual on Clicklaw Wikibooks (40th Ed.)

The Law Students’ Legal Advice Program’s (LSLAP) Annual Manual provides quick answers to many legal issues. It is made up of 22 chapters which amount to over 1,000 pages of printed materials. Originally designed as an educational resource for LSLAP students, it is now used by hundreds of organizations across British Columbia. Clicklaw Wikibooks and LSLAP have joined efforts to bring the Manual to the Clicklaw Wikibooks platform.

John Howard Society: Planning for Success

This guide was designed to help with release planning (to think about what you’re going to do once you’re no longer in custody), and contains information about government services and community-based organizations in our community.

CBABC Dial a Law Scripts – Various Updates

Common Law Relationships: Your Income, Support, and Property Rights; What Happens When Your Spouse Dies; Reporting Suspected Child Abuse; Getting Married; Changing Your Name; What is Small Claims Court; Suing Someone in Small Claims Court; Being Sued in Small Claims Court; Getting Your Judgment Paid; and more.

Stay informed:

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Pink Shirt Day – Resources & Events on Bullying

Today is Pink Shirt Day across Canada, a day that raises awareness about bullying. Pink Shirt Day has its beginnings in Nova Scotia, started by two high school students in support of their classmate who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school.

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In honour of Pink Shirt Day, we are listing key resources and events that educate people on different issues related to bullying:

Bookable Events

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TrendShift: a public dialogue/workshop on cyber misogyny, free and open to the public

by West Coast LEAF

When? Thursday, February 25, 5:30-7pm at TRU, Kamloops, BC.

What? This free interactive workshop will open up a dialogue about how inequality, discrimination and violence play out on the internet and what Canadian law has to say about our rights and responsibilities online.

TrendShift workshops are available for booking in Kamloops, Nanaimo, and Greater Vancouver. These workshops are for students in Grades 8-12 and was developed as part of our Cyber Misogyny Project. Its goals are to open up spaces for dialogue with youth about their rights and responsibilities online, to think about what violence and discrimination look like in online spaces, and to clear up myths about the laws that apply to their lives online. More info on the length of the workshops, and who you can contact for more information available online here.

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The Justice Theatre Troupe

Justice Theatre

by People’s Law School

The Justice Theatre troupe consists of seven professional actors who stage scripted hour-long dramatizations of criminal trials on topics affecting students in elementary and secondary schools throughout the school year in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley. Justice Theatre is delivered throughout the province of BC.

The one-hour performances address current topics affecting young people and communities-at-large. Frequently requested topics include: Bullying and the Internet, and Bullying and Violence. Schools and community groups should contact Rob McAninch, Justice Theatre director, to find out when the troupe will be in their community or to book a special event.

Online Resources

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What can you do about cyberbullying?

This common question gives you good starting points to learn more about cyberbullying and what you can do to stop it. It includes CBA BC’s resource, Stalking, Criminal Harassment and Cyberbullying, and West Coast LEAF’s resource, “Is that legal?” – a CyberMisogyny Legal Guide, which explains Canadian law about issues of online harassment, exploitation and abuse.

 

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Bullying and Harassment: a workplace problem
by People’s Law School

This video resource describes bullying and harassment in the workplace and what can you do if you experience it.

 

BC Human Rights Clinic
Bullying Law in BC
by BC Human Rights Clinic (CLAS)

This resource reviews protection from bullying at work, personal harassment, and includes a more in-depth resource on Bullying and Harassment in Human Rights Law, which gives tips on what managers can do to maintain a harassment-free workplace environment.

Stay informed:

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